National Network for Equitable Library Service

The essence of a vibrant, growing, and changing Calgary is captured over the life of its development. Calgary is a typical boom-and-bust town that was first based on ranching and farming, then oil and gas, and now energy. And energy is what its citizens have, whether for skiing, work, or construction. It is a city that leaps ahead eagerly to new futures and rarely looks back., but Calgary can also be an unsentimental city, discarding its ideas, plans, and buildings with ease.

A compelling look at tobacco’s uses and abuses from its Native origins to today’s controversies. When Europeans discovered tobacco among Amerindians in the New World, it became a long-sought panacea of panaceas, the critical ingredient in enemas, ointments, syrups, and powders employed to treat everything from syphilis to cancer.

A charming tale of history, creativity, natural inspiration, and a love of gardening. In 1913, Howard Dunington-Grubb and his wife, Lorrie, bought a small plot of land near Sheridan, Ontario, for the cultivation of ornamental plants. Local farmers thought they were crazy. But Howard and Lorrie, landscape architects recently arrived from England, were visionaries who dreamed of creating magnificent gardens in the colonial wasteland. Realizing that Canada had no nurseries that produced the plants they needed, they started one of their own.

The colourful story of Don Harron’s 77-year career in the entertainment business. After 15 books about somebody else (mostly alter ego Charlie Farquharson) plus one book by his drag-queen character, Charlie’s rich city cousin Valerie Rosedale, Don Harron now presents the story of his 77-year stint in the entertainment business.

Canada’s automotive "Dr. Phil" says there’s never been a better time to buy a new car or truck.

After sharing her own story in Haunted, Dorah L. Williams compiles first-hand accounts of the spiritual encounters of others. Upon writing Haunted: The Incredible True Story of a Canadian Family’s Experience Living in a Haunted House, Dorah thought her situation was unique. What she didn’t realize was how many others would relate to how it feels to be haunted, too. After being flooded by emails from people with similar experiences, Dorah began to realize this wasn’t uncommon at all.

When Marjorie’s daughter began exploring archival records involving Britain’s child-migration program, a home-child saga emerged. Marjorie Arnison was one of the thousands of children removed from their families, communities, and country and placed in a British colony or commonwealth to provide "white stock" and cheap labour. In Marjorie’s case, she was sent to Prince of Wales Fairbridge Farm School, just north of Victoria, British Columbia, in 1937. As a child, Patricia was angered that her mother wouldn’t talk about the past.

An insider’s view of the opera world from one of its greatest figures. Everything about opera is larger than life, but the bigger the art form, the bigger the potential for disaster. When things go wrong at the opera house, they really go wrong. No one has a greater or more intimate knowledge of such moments than Lotfi Mansouri. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, Mansouri has directed nearly 500 productions at major opera houses around the globe.

A true story of hockey heartbreak, tragedy, and triumph. Limited time offer. Sudden Death brings to life the incredible ongoing saga of the Swift Current Broncos hockey team. After a tragic game-day bus accident on December 30, 1986, left four of its star players dead, the first-year Western Hockey League team was faced with nearly insurmountable odds against not only its future success but its very survival.

This is a long-awaited history of one of Metro Toronto's most historic churches, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Scarborough, founded in 1818. This publication records the many memorable individuals to fill its pulpits and pews as well as stories of its associations, buildings and community anecdotes.The story of St. Andrew's is also very much a history of Scarborough and of the pioneer families who settled the area.